Everything I learned, I learned in high school

Back to school - oh what joy! Parents of kindergarten children view back to school with trepidation. As children grow, parents begin to embrace the time-honored back-to-school traditions eagerly because they know their lives will soon be in a routine that the school year governs instead of a routine that summer-break children govern.

Twenty-five years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," but I have come to realize that "everything I need to know as an adult facing the challenges of life, I learned in high school." Many view high school as a time to prepare for college, while others view high school as a time for the last bit of fun.

I view the time in high school as the time when value systems are gelled more firmly into place, when work ethics are established and when we begin to understand work/life balance.

Having been raised in a conservative household, and following the same tradition in our household, value systems are pretty much in place. High school is the time when these value systems are tested. There is great peer pressure to fit in with the crowd and not stand out. If we have raised our children successfully, we have given them a value system that can stand this test and still be the supporting leg of our children's self-confidence.

As I was growing up, my parents both worked outside the home. My children were raised in the same way - and I found myself leaning on many "tricks of the trade" that my mother used. For example, even though my parents didn't arrive home until after 5 p.m., it was expected that my homework was complete and piano practice done when they arrived. Family dinnertime was sacred, and evenings weren't for homework or piano; they were for relaxation and family interaction. We continued this tradition with our children and found great success and happiness in this routine.

Most of us are familiar with the term "work/life balance," which I believe is relevant to both adults and high school students. In our family, our 16th birthday signaled the time we were expected to find full-time employment over the summer and possibly continue the position on a part-time basis during the school year. Upon graduation, we had to make a choice if we wished to continue to live at home - obtain full-time employment and pay rent - or attend college full time, or a combination of the two. Staying home and not working was not an option; it was understood that graduation signaled "adulthood" and "paying your own way."

Some have commented that we overloaded our children with work when homework should have been the priority, while others said that we should have made "fun" a higher priority. We found success in balancing schoolwork, home life and outside employment as the key to raising productive and happy children.

Wishing you all the best this school year in whatever route you choose!

Kandi Johnson is a St. George resident.

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Everything I learned, I learned in high school

Back to school ? oh what joy! Parents of kindergarten children view back to school with trepidation.